Minneapolis, Minnesota - Present Day

Whitney Andrews has a wonderful life. She's married to the man of her dreams, Dr. Chase Andrews, has a job she loves, and a meaningful relationship with God. Whitney is Vice President at Innova Software, and her colleagues are as much a part of her family as Chase, their respective parents, and her cats, Mr. Tibble and Scram. Harry Harrison is the boss -- the genius behind Innova, but he prefers to stay inside the inner sanctum of his office, leaving Whitney to run the ship, and as long as she's at the helm, Harry is confident things will not go awry. Whitney's staff gets their work finished -- usually. Betty prefers to spend most of her time searching eBay, and Bryan Kellund manages to duck into the men's bathroom several times a day rather than be embarrassed by too much feminine conversation. Whitney's assistant, Mitzi Fraiser, is good at organizing -- her wardrobe. Mitzi thinks she's the reason the office runs as smoothly as it does, but in reality, Whitney counts her blessings when Mitzi actually finishes a project. And Whitney would be lost without her best friend, Kim Easton. Kim's her right hand all the time. They're each other's sounding board, and once in a while, Mitzi deigns to allow them into her world, which is as far away from reality as you can get.

Mitzi's latest project in the office seems to revolve around babies. She's stocked the break room with pregnancy magazines, and even Kim seems to have gotten caught up in all the baby-hype -- she desperately wants another child, but her husband Kurt is worried about her health. After surviving breast cancer and a constant struggle with years of depression, Kurt thinks that their exuberant three-year-old son, Wesley, is enough of a handful for Kim right now. Unknown to Whitney or Kim, Mitzi is also longing for a child. But...Mitzi won't go it alone. She refuses to be the only female in the Innova office getting fat! She brazenly informs Whitney that it's high time she thinks about having children. And, for the first time in her two-year marriage, Whitney wonders what it would be like to have a baby, an extension of the man she loves with all her heart. She hadn't really considered it before, but with Kim and Mitzi dreaming about impending motherhood, and Betty already shopping for layettes on eBay, Whitney catches the fever. Why not?

THE BABY CHRONICLES is a delightful book! Many readers will remember Whitney from her first journal, THE WHITNEY CHRONICLES (September 2006), where we were introduced to this quirky cast of characters. THE BABY CHRONICLES is Whitney's continuation of her journal and follows her road to motherhood in this light, humorous, and emotional tale of real life. Whitney lives for God. Both she and Chase put God first in their lives, appreciating His presence and His gifts. Whitney's biggest prayer is helping Mitzi find her path to the Lord, and her greatest joy is her husband, her family, and their pets. Together, Whitney and Chase forge down the unknown path of planning for a child, with a few bumps and bruises, lots of faith, and happiness along the way.

The majority of the secondary characters have been previously mentioned, with the exception of Whitney's parents and the various spouses and significant others of the Innova gang. Boss Harry is in a panic when he learns that Whitney, Kim, and Mitzi are planning babies -- at the same time -- and he worries about who will run the office. Bryan ducks into the men's room more and more often as female hormones in the office rage, and Betty runs amok on eBay. And even Mr. Tibble lends his voice to Whitney's first-person narrative with his own musings.

THE BABY CHRONICLES is a continuation of an original story that embodies the Steeple Hill Cafe tag line: "Life, faith and getting it right." I hope to see more of Whitney and company in future stories! This novel is another winner!

Diana Risso